This project investigates genetic deficiencies in pulmonary surfactant proteins that cause respiratory disease in newborns. The goals of this study are: 1) to diagnose inherited abnormalities of surfactant proteins in infants with respiratory distress; 2) to identify new mutations; 3) to study surfactant metabolism in tissue of affected infants; 4) to determine effects of recombinant surfactant protein expression in deficient tissue.